NBD: Sire V3 5 strings

[ilan]

Bought it for my youngest son, he wanted a fiver. The local authorized dealer has them on discount for $350 including a Sire gig bag and same-day delivery to my door (got it within 6 hours from the online purchase) so I took the chance.

This is a stock photo but the actual bass looks identical. Mahogany body, excellent setup and in tune right out of the box. 18v active circuitry, my son loves it (he's used to on-board tone shaping, his main bass is a 1991 StingRay). This is a very good sounding bass, I even like the passive mode. It's a quality J with a twist.

Yes, this is not something I'd buy for myself, but for a 5-string I don't think I could get a better deal. The V3 is their cheapest model, still it plays like a high quality bass. The mahogany body was a nice surprise, I didn't notice it when I ordered the bass. The color scheme is a bit Gibson-ish, I only wish the headstock was gloss black to complete it.

[slinkp]

Nice! I'm neither a J player nor a 5 player (yet), but that does indeed look very pretty.
Good look and I'm glad you're happy with the quality.

I have a soft spot for bang-for-buck instruments, maybe because my entire teens and twenties I just had the one Ibanez Blazer that I got for $200 in about 1982. (Apparently that would be over $500 US today, wow)
It was only when I finally got a Real Job in my early thirties that I could afford to buy anything nicer (and don't play out as much). Ironic.

[Alanko]

Not my style of bass at all. I avoid 5-ers and Actives like the plague.

Saying that, I've never seen or heard a bad word about Sire. They are killing it, and I sense they've put the frighteners on other builders. Your son has a lot of bass for £350.

To put it into perspective, I owned an OLP branded Stingray copy for a while. This was 'officially licensed product' which is naff in and of itself. The thing was a boat anchor, and passive. It had three knobs, but two were volumes for the individual coils in the humbucker, which is plain weird. The pickguard was asymmetrical, and the body was drilled to fit this pickguard. I bought another OLP pickguard from a guy, and it didn't fit. The quality control, tolerances and general fit and finish weren't there in a budget instrument fifteen years ago.

[Highlander]

Never owned a "Fender" but own 1 and 2x 1/2 Squiers (butterscotch Tele Affinity, which just sounds gotgeous, and a black 20th anni Jazz, split into two different instruments, with a Fender licensed fretless neck on the black Jazz body and the Squier neck on a gold ho body) and have a lot of respect for low budget second-stringers...
I own a budget range Gibson SG with a "Gibson" Bigsby... early 70's... pretty much stock... Gibson in name only as it's nothing like a "real" SG... odd mini humbuckers, so I believe, and not a very subtle player... used mostly for slide...
Was Ibanez considered low-budget 40 years ago...? if so, my 12 string acoustic, a 21st prezzie, has stood the test of time, even with the way I've abused mine...
I have one fiver... a fretless Michael Kelly fretless EAB... got lots of fancy neck inlays which, infuriatingly, buzz slightly... going to re-dress the neck and coat it... nice sounding, with TI flats... 2nd or 3rd hand...
The Hohner Jack I have is a "poor-mans" Status... still in love with her., nearly 40 years on..
Even my "Thunderbird" is a "copy"...
My RD is my only "real" instrument, I guess...
The Andreas Demetriou is "unique" but as never being completed, the jury's out...

[Dave W]

If it sounds and plays like a J-type ought to, it's good.

[slinkp]

Was Ibanez considered low-budget 40 years ago...?

They had some higher end stuff, sure, like the Musician - but I never even saw one of those and don't know what they sold for. The Blazers and later Roadstar II instruments were quite inexpensive in the US, and I think they were more competing with other budget imports like Squier and Aria rather than Fender.  $200 US for a brand-new bass that didn't suck was as good a deal as I could find in 1980. Nearly all the bass players that I encountered in my teen years also had low-end Ibanez models, except one guy with an Aria Pro II. I think guitarists had more choices available even then, but there were still a lot of Ibanez strat-like guitars around.  Certaily none of those kids had Fenders or Gibsons.

[Highlander]

Mine was a little over £100 when I bought her... One of the shops on Charring Cross Road in WC2... did try a Ric but didn't consider it... wanted something a bit different... didn't take long to get modified... just stickers...
In a quirky set of circumstances, discovered that Uwe has the same model some years back...

[ilan]

Speaking of low budget Ibanez, saw this 80's RB920 for sale for $300. Like a passive StingRay with figured maple top, binding, and Ric-ish cresting wave body horns. I'm tempted.

[Pilgrim]

Speaking of low budget Ibanez, saw this 80's RB920 for sale for $300. Like a passive StingRay with figured maple top, binding, and Ric-ish cresting wave body horns. I'm tempted.

I don't know its reputation, but that's a beautiful bass.

[slinkp]

I don't know what that model sounds like, but I'd say heck yes for that price

[slinkp]

Old outpost thread . https://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=10490.0

[Dave W]

Speaking of low budget Ibanez, saw this 80's RB920 for sale for $300. Like a passive StingRay with figured maple top, binding, and Ric-ish cresting wave body horns. I'm tempted.

Buy it!

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Speaking of low budget Ibanez, saw this 80's RB920 for sale for $300. Like a passive StingRay with figured maple top, binding, and Ric-ish cresting wave body horns. I'm tempted.

That's what I paid for its two pickup bigger brother a couple years ago, but I got an absolute killer deal. They're nice basses, falling soundwise closer to Spector than Fender, but without a Spector's active bite. Go for it.

[ilan]

Okay, peer pressure, bought it!

Same pic that was on eBay 3 years ago (asking price $1,281), should I be worried? I paid with Paypal so I assume I'm protected.

[Dave W]

Okay, peer pressure, bought it!

Same pic that was on eBay 3 years ago (asking price $1,281), should I be worried? I paid with Paypal so I assume I'm protected.

You're protected. The old auction link isn't archived, hopefully it's the same seller.